Vi left her to it, wandering the shelves toward the empty bar. The sparse bottles—dull with dust—were a contrast to the brightly polished and well-stocked bar that had been in her room at the hotel. It reminded her of her brother and his hand in her escape.
How was he handling it now?There was a dull ache in her chest as his words, begging her to stay, returned loud and clear in her mind. She was doing the right thing, she was certain of it. So… why did she feel guilty?
Movement distracted her. Vi turned, looking out one of the windows. The glass was far from perfect, distorting the bird that had perched on the windowsill. She walked over slowly, so as not to spook the animal.
It was a an eagle—ruddy in color—with pristine plumage, bright eyes, and the strangest circular marking on its brow. Vi leaned forward and the bird swiveled its head to look directly at her. Deep intelligence reflected in its eyes.
“V—Yullia?” Jayme called over.
“Yes?” Vi straightened and heard the flapping of wings outside the glass. She looked back and confirmed the bird had indeed taken flight at her sudden movement.
“Shall we go upstairs?”
“Sure.” Vi adjusted her pack, glancing over her shoulder. “Did you see that bird? It was huge.”
“I missed it,” Jayme said through a mouthful of food. She handed Vi a candied lemon peel.
“Looked like an eagle.”
“Not impossible, though hawks are more common out here in the desert,” the old man interjected. “You’ll see them from time to time.”
“It was beautiful, whatever it was,” Vi murmured, looking back to the window. But the bird was long gone.
* * *
Vi fell back onto the plush bed, looked at her pruned fingers, and proclaimed, “I am exhausted.”
“Yes, but it’s good to have had a chance to wash everything, and kind of the owner to allow us to use his laundry supplies.”
“I thought I would dry up in the desert; after today I think I’ve had enough water until we get to Norin.” First there had been laundry, then scrubbing themselves—it took nearly an hour to work a brush through her hair, and Vi hadn’t missed the opportunity to soak tension from her aching muscles in a hot bath.
“You won’t be saying that three hours into tomorrow.” Jayme sat on the other side of the bed, swinging her legs.
“That may be true.” Vi fought a yawn.
“Speaking of… We should get some sleep.” The yawn was contagious, and it was Jayme’s turn. “We won’t have a real bed again until Norin.”
Vi laid back and snuffed the candle on the table opposite the bed in the same motion. She expected sleep to come quickly, but found herself staring up at the ceiling as her eyes adjusted to the moonlight streaming through the open window. Her body was tired and her mind had never felt more awake.
It wandered down every possible mental pathway—her mother, brother, and father. She thought about Taavin and barely resisted the urge to try to sneak out of bed to summon him. Vi turned her head, looking at the back of Jayme’s on the pillow opposite.What would it feel like to have Taavin there?
“Jayme,” Vi whispered.
“What?” she grumbled sleepily.
“Are you awake?”
Something between a sigh and a yawn. “No, I’m good at sleep talking.” A pause. “Yes, I’m awake, what do you need?”
“Have you ever lain with a man before?” Vi asked softly.
Another painfully long pause. Then Jayme twisted in bed, shifting under the covers to face Vi. She hoped the moonlight would hide her blush, now that Jayme was looking at her.
“This, coming from the princess who has ‘no time for romance’?”
“I didn’t—don’t—have time for it. I was just… wondering.” Vi’s tongue wouldn’t cooperate. Now that she’d started the line of thought, all she could think about was lying curled in bed with Taavin.
“Well, like I told you before, I haven’t had time myself for relationships. I’ve been too busy.” Jayme’s eyes blinked slowly, sleep tugging at the lids.
